How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The duty of an investigator was to scratch away at innocence until guilt was discovered. If no guilt was uncovered then they hadn't scratched deep enough. (2.5.11)
Oh, silly us: we thought that an investigator's job was to investigate the truth. Instead, Leo and his MGB cohorts are only concerned with filling quotas. So they might have to lie along the way. So they might have to torture some innocent people. They're doing it for a just cause, right?
Quote #2
If you genuinely wanted to dispose of something you snuck it out, discreetly getting rid of it on the way home. (2.7.9)
Even MGB trashcans are avowed liars. It makes sense, though: these agents understand that you always need to be on your guard—especially when you're dealing with your fellow MGB agents. What a nasty bunch.
Quote #3
Outward displays of emotion should be treated with extreme skepticism unless the person was unaware that he or she was being observed. (2.7.11)
Let's be honest, Major: the real reason you're doing that is because you think it looks cool when you stare wistfully out the window. Still, Leo knows that it would be foolish to let his guard down in front of his boss. As it turns out, deception is a 24/7 job.
Quote #4
Within this polished and practiced sequence of self-justification there was a small amount of denial, denial which sat dormant in the pit of his stomach. (2.7.47)
Of course, most lies are told two feet from the bathroom mirror. Leo has lied to himself about everything: his job, his marriage, his past, and his family. Though he desperately tries to repress them, these buried truths manage to make their way to the surface. Once they do, it's going to be a lot harder for him to ignore them.
Quote #5
Zarubin was to [...] dope him with a powerful sedative [...] by pretending it was a medicine or tonic. (2.8.3)
That's a pretty sneaky move, Doc. Even a high-ranking MGB agent like Leo isn't exempt from scrutiny—in fact, his sterling reputation is seen as just cause for suspicion. That's right: looking too good will also get you in trouble in this crazy place.
Quote #6
He couldn't claim the confession itself was a lie—it was an official document as valid and true as every other confession. (2.10.13)
So if we confess to sinking the Titanic, will we get arrested, too? Though this seems like an absurd example, it shows just how detached the MGB is from reality. The fact that there isn't a single person in the organization who stands up to such nonsense is staggering. It's hardly a surprise, though, since standing up for anything will inevitably get you either jailed or killed.
Quote #7
Leo hadn't believed it for a second, too schooled in paranoia and plot not to see the cracks in the story. (3.15.25)
Even the State's account of Stalin's death is an obvious lie. If it makes you feel any better, though, we're willing to bet that many a Russian citizen was lying when they acted sad about their Glorious Leader's death.
Quote #8
Those differences had been a disguise. The dissident had been the policeman and the policeman had become the counterrevolutionary. (4.37.7)
Whoa, bro—this is some Inception-level stuff. It just goes to show you: sometimes, the person who says all of the right things actually feels all of the wrong things on the inside. To be honest, though, Ivan's real crime was lending Raisa For Whom the Bell Tolls instead of The Sun Also Rises. Shame on you, good sir.
Quote #9
"You have a short memory, Leo. How did we just escape? We told the inmates of that carriage the truth." (4.50.25)
Ultimately, the only way that Leo and Raisa survive is by telling the truth. What a fanciful concept. The Russian people have been lied to for so long that the truth is as sweet as a summer breeze. Who knows where Leo and Raisa would have ended up if they hadn't told the truth?
Quote #10
The men in the audience [...] were certain they'd know he was a monster just by looking him in the eyes. (4.50.42)
Andrei might be the best liar of them all. This bespectacled murderer plays the role of average Joe with aplomb, disguising his true nature beneath a nerdy exterior. In other words, Andrei is a classic wolf in sheep's clothing. Wait—sheep wear clothes? Also, it's saying something that the most normal-looking person in this society is actually a mass murderer… does that mean that mass murder is actually normal in this society? After all, the Soviet Union at this point specializes in the random killing of thousands of citizens…